Architecture and Innovation

David K. Plotkin, AIA and Principal of WDA.

David founded and operated his Tucson, Arizona firm, concentrating on envisioning and implementing commercial and residential projects built with environmentally responsible practices. He has also designed and managed projects for firms in New York, Nashville, Chicago, and Los Angeles, including Frank O. Gehry & Associates and Morphosis Architects.

WBA is a people-based practice. That makes our design process fundamentally different than the norm. At WDA, everyone participates in design.

WBA engages the expertise of our entire team from the start and believes that when people feel connected to their work, they care more about their contributions, pushing design to greater heights.

Their byline is the modern design that lives well.

For more information, you can visit: https://wdarch.com/

Adam Kushner is the founding principal of KUSHNER Studios, an architecture and design practice. His design background stems from his formal education at Rensselaer [B ARCH 1986] and Cornell University [M ARCH 1994].

As a Design Studio Instructor at Cornell, his interest in teaching was nourished, and he remains close to academia.

Adam is also a founding partner of https://www.inhousegroupinc.com/team/adam-kushner/

For more information, you can visit https://www.kushnerstudios.com/copy-of-home.

For our guest today, we're honored and excited to welcome Hans Baldauf, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects LEED AP and founding Principal at BCV. BCV is an award-winning architecture, interior design, and planning firm with international experience creating beautiful environments. They strive to produce work that is simple, elegant, and timeless.An efficient expression of design that shows a sense of restraint and transcends trends. For more information, feel free to visit their website atbcvarch.com.

Cass Calder Smith, FAIAand founderof Calder Smith Architecture + Interiors, is known for high-profile restaurant designs inSan Francisco, California, andNew York City.

Cass Calder Smith is dedicated to excellence in architecture and design. Since its inception in 1990, CCS has designed various public and private buildings and interiors for LIVING, WORKING, EATING, and MORE. The firm has gained international acclaim for the architectural and commercial success of its restaurant projects, while the uniqueness of residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects has met with an unusual degree of owner satisfaction and media praise. CCS seeks to explore opportunities of maximum potential and express them at a scale appropriate to each project.

Their work is firmly based on the modernist idiom, where innovation and creativity are balanced by common sense and experience. The firm is known for creating exceptional spatial and material projects and providing outstanding, professional service.

Feel free to visit his site at https://www.casscaldersmith.com/

Jon de la Cruz, Owner/Principal of award-winning de la Cruz Architecture Interior + Design.

Jon creates interiors that are truly unique for each project and each client.

Over the past 20 years, Jon has worked with the Bay Area's top design firms, successfully leading projects includingThe Battery SF,The Cavalier, MarloweCarbonein Las Vegas,Sadelle’sin New York, and private residences nationwide.

You can find him on the web at:http://www.dlcid.com/

Eric Naslund, FAIA and principal at Studio E Architects in San Diego, CA.”

Studi E Architects is a twenty-six collaborative led by principals, Eric Naslund, John Sheehan, Mathilda Bialk, and Maxine Ward.

Based in San Diego, California, the firm works throughout the Southwestern United States and has built a varied body of work ranging from private residences to affordable housing, mixed-use, civic, and urban planning projects. The firm has received numerous design awards, including three National American Institute of Architects Honor Awards.

You can find him on the web at:https://www.studioearchitects.com/

The founder of b9 architects, Bradley is passionate about excellence and service. With a Master of Architecture from Harvard University, he focuses on the intersection of education, policy, design innovation, sustainability and real estate development. Bradley develops multifamily infill urban projects to enrich the community through walkable, vibrant density. Over the years, he has served as a member of several AIA Boards and Task Forces, including President of the Board of Directors, advocating for policies that encourage equitable urban policies focused on density and sustainability. Bradley also teaches Architectural Design studios part-time at the University of Washington, College of Built Environments and serves on juries regularly. An avid skier, he enjoys spending his free time hitting the slopes and teaching his children how to ski.

For more information feel free to visit http://www.b9architects.com/

Robert Swatt, FAIA and principal of Swatt Miers.

Our studio offers architecture, planning, interior design, and facility programming services to individual, corporate, public service, and institutional clients on a wide spectrum of building types.

The firm was formed as a merger of two long-established San Francisco Bay Area firms — Swatt Architects and George Miers and Associates — with the goal of creating a practice that consistently creates beautiful, sustainable, and user-responsive buildings while offering our clients the highest level of design, management, and principle-oriented services.

https://swattmiers.com/

Today we are honored to have Susan Dwyer. Susan is Co CEO at HENDY. She shares insights on the importance of intentional workplace culture and aligning company and employee values. She discusses the challenges of balancing growth and culture while maintaining brand identity, and the impact of the pandemic on workplace design trends. Dwyer emphasizes the importance of having a growth mindset and staying positive in difficult times. Tune in for valuable tips on creating a positive workplace culture.

For more information feel free to visit their website at https://hhendy.com/

Brendan Sanchez, AIA and principal of Access Architecture in Vancouver, WA.

Access Architecture believes that connections shape who we are and give life purpose. They are committed to exploring how the built environment can foster these connections, whether it is to one another, our environment, history, or community.

Furthermore, their purpose also understands that there is an opportunity in every project to enhance the quality of life through thoughtful architecture.

You can find him on the web at:https://www.access-arch.com/